Cougars & Mustangs 

The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs, and explosions, and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices, to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy; and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is, that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone.”

Rod Serling said that.

Considering Cuesta College’s big accreditation news, I know you’re anxious to hear one thing: Who do I, esteemed columnist Chris White-Sanborn, consider my favorite writer? Well, dear friends, that’s a tough call. There are many good ones. Roger Ebert, Imogen Heap, Christopher Nolan, Andrew Hussie—good writers come in all shapes and sizes. But since you’re playing along with the fantasy long enough to let me continue, I’ll declare to the whole world right now what its tired ears already know: My patron saint of literary-ing is Rod Serling. If ever there were a hero of the television industry, it would be the creator of the The Twilight Zone, known just as much for its social commentary as for its twist endings and supernatural elements.

Students of California Polytechnic and Cuesta College, I am fully aware that there are more artists among you than you care to admit. And given the track record of both schools, you already admit quite a lot. So why not take a chance and enter a writing contest? I mean, really, you have nothing to lose but $20. The 2013 Rod Serling Conference, an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to the works of Rod Serling, will be held this November in Los Angeles, so submissions are currently open for the corresponding 2013 Script Competition. The deadline for entries is Monday, April 15. Winners can receive cash prizes and may have their scripts read at the conference itself. Scripts should have a supernatural or horror theme, but with strong traditional or contemporary social themes, just like an episode of Serling’s The Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. For more information on both the competition and the conference, visit ithaca.edu/rhp/serling.

And OK, fine, the elephant in the room. The accreditation status is fine. But honestly, after all was said and done, I won’t lie—I’m not surprised in the slightest. So really, what more is there to say?

Intern Chris White-Sanborn is responsible for this Cougars and Mustangs. Send him to the cornfield. I mean, send your collegiate news to [email protected].